House owner gets jail for ‘kundi’ connection

In a first, a local court has convicted and sentenced a man for six months for electricity theft through a ‘kundi’ connection. Additional district and sessions judge Arun Kumar Singal, designated as a special court to hear such cases, awarded the sentence to a Palsora resident for the offence.

In a first, a local court has convicted and sentenced a man for six months for electricity theft through a ‘kundi’ connection. Additional district and sessions judge Arun Kumar Singal, designated as a special court to hear such cases, awarded the sentence to a Palsora resident for the offence.

“In view of the gravity of the offence, which is quite serious, much leniency cannot be shown to the accused as he was illegally abstracting electricity of government. The faith of the society in the administration of justice is going to be eroded if much leniency is shown in such matters,” the court said while awarding the sentence and imposing a penalty of Rs 1,000 on Kesar Singh after holding him guilty under the Electricity Act.

The UT police had booked Kesar Singh along with Darshan Singh, a resident of SAS Nagar. The court, however, acquitted Darshan Singh as charges against him could not be proved.

On September 26, 2009, the police registered a case against Kesar Singh and Darshan Singh after one Kulwinder Singh alias Baikshani fell unconscious at Palsora village after getting an electric shock from a welding machine installed at the house of Kesar Singh.

As per the allegations, fabrication work was going on at Kesar Singh house in Palsora village under the supervision of Darshan Singh, who had allegedly employed Kulwinder Singh for the job. The accused were running the welding machine through a ‘kundi’ connection draw from a power line.

The prosecution claimed that Kulwinder Singh was electrocuted while he was working on a welding set being run on a ‘kundi’ connection from house of Kesar Singh.

The court, in its August 1 order, held that, “The dishonest abstraction of electricity has been done at the house of Kesar Singh, so, he is liable for the commission of an offence punishable under the Electricity Act. Even if it is presumed that the ‘kundi’ connection was installed by deceased Kulwinder Singh still the accused, Kesar Singh, cannot escape from his liability as he never intimated the police or electricity department about it. Rather, it can be presumed that the ‘kundi’ connection was established by Kulwinder Singh with the consent of Kesar Singh, so that he is not burdened with the charges of electricity consumed in the fabrication work.”